Perfection Has Its Price

At Webati, we often hear our clients express concern about utilizing Google Analytics to devise and feed their testing plans for optimization. The common fear is that the simple tools found in Google Analytics will not be able to adequately handle their site. It is a common misconception that more expensive tools are needed to produce more effective insights. These expensive tools supposedly reduce the risk associated with testing.

We have even heard of consultants who will feed these lines to their clients in order to point them towards more expensive tools. Their claim is that the simple and inexpensive tools are sufficient or useful enough for intricate, database driven websites.

What we tell our clients is that everyone business and individual believes that their website is complex. Just like a parent believes that their child is the next Tim Tebow or Gabby Douglas when it comes to sports. However, the truth is that most ecommerce sites are quite alike, as well as simple to understand and operate. The general pattern always goes something like this:

The customer is attracted to the site.

The product is displayed to the customer.

The customer is gently pushed to make a purchase.

The transaction occurs, and money changes hands.

The purchased product is shipped.

Repeat.

The bottom line is that a customer is not going to give a rat’s behind whether behind the scenes operations are simple or complex. All that the client is concerned with is whether or not the shopping process is enjoyable and simple, or maybe not, for them.

Embracing the Imperfections

Now, let’s talk about the issue of perfectionism. Every so often, we will encounter a client who is so afraid of taking the first baby step, lest it go wrong, that they are literally left paralyzed with fear, even if the step is moving towards improvement.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Anything worth doing is worth doing wrong”? This same mindset can be applied to one’s attitude about improvement and testing. It is applicable in the fact that the first step is always the hardest one to take. This is the moment when we find many of our clients are susceptible to untrue objections.

Take that first step and get it out of the way. If it turns out you were wrong, embrace it, because it is guaranteed that you will learn how to improve from the failure. It is unreasonable to expect that improvement is going to be immediate or perfect on the first try; however, this isn’t a viable reason not to give it a go. Asking for perfection on the first try is a surefire recipe for “never”.

Expect Perfection Every Time, and Pretty Soon, You’re Going to Be Out of a Job

We’re curious about how many businesses and companies out there are shelling out millions of dollars each year in pursuit of perfection. If individual employees were to be freed from the shackles of this apotheosis, could they consistently deliver better results for both their employers and their clients?

What we try to get our clients to understand is that optimization and test is a win-win scenario all around. When you learn from your failures, you are forced to come up with a more viable alternative. It is a win for your business because you end up earning more money for relatively the same amount of effort. Your business’s dollar efficiency is going to rise.

Achieving great testing results is going to arise from a series of bad test results. When testing failures occur, and they will, embrace it. Think of it as akin to tilling the soil for a guaranteed profitable harvest in the future.